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It is with great pleasure that I welcome to Nicosia today my colleague, His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I am even more delighted, Your Highness, that you and your delegation are the first colleagues I have received since taking office last month.
I would first like to note that despite the short period of time that has elapsed since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries, our bilateral relations have progressed a great deal and have acquired solid foundations.
Today we had a good opportunity to address a number of bilateral issues and agreed to accelerate the conclusion of a comprehensive strategic framework for our partnership in line with Vision 2030. Our meeting today was aimed, among other things, at preparing for President Anastasiades' visit to the Kingdom, and we also discussed Saudi Arabia's proposal to host Expo 2030, a very strong proposal, which we view positively.
Much of our discussions focused on the latest developments in the Gulf region, a region whose stability and security is threatened by terrorist attacks. I have conveyed to my colleague our unreserved solidarity with the Government and people of Saudi Arabia and our position that the latest drone attack at Abha airport is unequivocally condemnable. Terrorist acts of this kind on the territory of Saudi Arabia and other close partners in the Gulf are beyond reason and endanger civilian lives and threaten the stability and security of the entire region.
As we stand firmly with friends in Saudi Arabia, we discuss how those responsible for such reprehensible behavior will be held accountable in a way that would enhance ongoing efforts to make diplomatic progress on the Yemeni issue that will end the devastating humanitarian tragedy in the country.
Saudi Arabia is one of the bastions of the Arab world and Cyprus is linked by geography and history to this part of the world, so today's agenda included issues of essential importance. We discussed the conflict in Syria, the prospects for the Middle East peace process and the serious difficulties facing Lebanon, issues on which Saudi Arabia's views carry particular weight.
During our meeting we also had the opportunity to review EU-Saudi relations, particularly in view of next week's EU-GCC Council, which my colleague will co-chair. I want to underline the importance that Cyprus attaches to greater and better coordination with our partners in the Gulf and the fact that we are strong supporters of a strategic approach to EU-Saudi relations.
I also had the opportunity to brief Minister Al Saud on the latest developments on the Cyprus issue. I presented to him the confidence-building measures we are proposing in order to pave the way for the resumption of meaningful negotiations for the reunification of our country on the basis of the agreed framework. Your Highness, Saudi Arabia's principled support for Cyprus sends many messages and we gratefully acknowledge a friend in you.
In conclusion, dear colleague, I hope to welcome you back to Cyprus in the future. I have no doubt that we will continue to work closely together as the strong partnership between our countries becomes even more strategically valuable.
Thank you.
IK
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